IS affiliate in Egypt releases image of slain Croat captiveCAIRO (AP) — In a story Aug. 12 about a Croatian national reportedly beheaded by Islamic State militants, The Associated Press erroneously reported that Croatian troops fought as part of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. The Croatian troops were not part of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. They are, however, part of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan. A corrected version of the story is below: IS affiliate in Egypt releases image of slain Croat ca...

Japan restarts reactor after break due to FukushimaTOKYO — A power plant operator in southern Japan restarted a nuclear reactor on Tuesday, the first to begin operating under new safety requirements following the Fukushima disaster. Kyushu Electric Power Co. said Tuesday it had restarted the No. 1 reactor at its Sendai nuclear plant as planned. The restart marks Japan’s return to nuclear energy four-and-half-years after the 2011 meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in northe...

Turkey a vulnerable target for Islamic StateAssociated Press ISTANBUL — Officials have raised concerns that a deadly bombing in southeastern Turkey is part of a campaign of retaliation by the Islamic State group for a recent crackdown on its operations in the country. If they are right, Turkey would be a particularly vulnerable target for the extremists. The country shares a 1,250-kilometer (775-mile) border with Iraq and Syria, putting it nearby to strongholds of the self-proclaimed Is...

Cheating website Ashley Madison hacked, personal info posted NEW YORK (AP) — The parent company of Ashley Madison, a matchmaking website for cheating spouses, says it was hacked and that the personal information of some of its users was posted online. In addition, the person or persons behind the attack are threatening to release all of the site's personal information — including its members' sexual fantasies and financial information — if the company doesn't take Ashley Madison offline, according to a ...

Pluto flyby apparently successfulAssociated Press CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — In a day of both jubilation and tension, scientists anxiously waited Tuesday for NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft to send word across 3 billion miles and confirm it got humanity’s first up-close look at Pluto. All indications were that the craft successfully made its flyby, and a cheering, flag-waving celebration swept over the mission operations center in Maryland. But confirmation was not expected to rea...

Pluto bigger than scientists thoughtCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Little Pluto is a little bigger than anyone imagined. On the eve of NASA’s historic flyby of Pluto, scientists announced Monday the New Horizons spacecraft has nailed the size of the faraway icy world. Measurements by the spacecraft set to sweep past Pluto today indicate the radius of the dwarf planet spans 736 miles, plus or minus six miles. That’s 20 miles to 30 miles bigger than previous estimates. The diameter would ...

Greece seeks three-year aid programAssociated Press ATHENS, Greece — With a deadline just hours away to come up with a detailed economic reform plan, Greece requested a new three-year rescue from its European partners Wednesday as signs grew its economy was sliding toward free-fall without an urgently needed bailout. As its banking system teetered near the edge, the government extended bank closures into next week, while international creditors were in open disagreement over wh...

Irate French taxi drivers smash cars in strike against UberAssociated Press PARIS — French taxi drivers pulled out the throttle in an all-out confrontation with the ultra-cheap Uber car service Thursday, smashing livery cars, setting tires ablaze and blocking traffic during a nationwide strike that caught tourists and celebrities alike in the mayhem. Travelers going to and from the airport were forced to walk alongside highways with their bags, while others, including singer Courtney Love, had their c...

China's ban on ivory to stop poachingJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Conservationists hail it as a possible game-changer in the struggle to curb the slaughter of elephants: an unexpected pledge by a senior Chinese official to stop the ivory trade in a country whose vast, increasingly affluent consumer market drives elephant poaching across Africa. Now they are waiting in suspense for China to outline how and when it would ban an industry that criminal syndicates use as cover for their illici...

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Associated Press writer Courtney Quirin contributed to this report from Johannesburg.Associated Press

US newly accused of spying in France PARIS (AP) — Embarrassed by leaked conversations of three successive French presidents and angered by new evidence of uninhibited American spying, France demanded answers Wednesday from the Obama administration and called for an intelligence "code of conduct" between allies. France's foreign minister summoned the U.S. ambassador to respond to the WikiLeaks revelations, as French eyes fixed on the top floor of the U.S. Embassy after reports tha...

Breeders want South Africa's ban on rhino horn trade lifted JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Calling rhino horns a renewable resource, rhino breeders and game reserve owners have taken the South African government to court to try to overturn its ban on the domestic trade of rhino horn. They maintain that harvesting the horn from the living rhinos at their ranches and selling it legally will drive poachers currently slaughtering the endangered animals out of business. "It is in the public interest that the moratoriu...

Britain has a new princess and eagerly awaits her nameLONDON (AP) — From Prince Charles to royal fans to most of those who put down a bet, millions in Britain were hoping for a girl. The Duchess of Cambridge delighted her nation and royal enthusiasts around the world Saturday by delivering one such princess. The royal birth was greeted with cheers and elated cries of "Hip, hip, hooray!" outside St. Mary's Hospital in London, where fans and the world's media have waited for days. The baby — Prince...

How to help Nepal earthquake victimsAid groups are rushing to get crucial supplies to survivors of Nepal's devastating earthquake, which has killed more than 2,500 people. Here's a look at humanitarian efforts under way in Nepal and how to donate online: UNICEF The U.N. children's agency, UNICEF, says nearly 1 million children in Nepal need help. UNICEF says it is preparing two cargo flights with a combined 120 tons of humanitarian supplies including medical and hospital supplie...

Magnitude-7.9 quake hits Nepal, causing big damage, injuries KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A powerful, 7.9-magnitude earthquake shook Nepal's capital and the densely populated Kathmandu Valley before noon Saturday, collapsing houses, leveling centuries-old temples and cutting open roads in the worst temblor in the Himalayan nation in over 80 years. Dozens of people with injuries were being brought to the main hospital in central Kathmandu. There was no immediate estimate on fatalities, except for a report by ...

Plane crash kills 150 people in French Alps; Europe in shockSEYNE-LES-ALPES, France (AP) — A black box recovered from the scene and pulverized pieces of debris strewn across Alpine mountainsides held clues to what caused a German jetliner to take an unexplained eight-minute dive Tuesday midway through a flight from Spain to Germany, apparently killing all 150 people on board. The victims included two babies, two opera singers and 16 German high school students and their teachers returning from an excha...

GOP senator behind Iran letter: Hard-charging rookieWASHINGTON (AP) — The rookie Republican senator leading the effort to torpedo an agreement with Iran is an Army veteran with a Harvard law degree who has a full record of tough rhetoric against President Barack Obama's foreign policy. But none of Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton's previous forays into national security made quite the impression, or raised as many hackles, as the letter he authored this week lecturing Iran's leaders on American democra...

Police hunt gunmen who killed 12 in attack on French newspaperPARIS (AP) — Masked gunmen stormed the offices of a satirical newspaper that caricatured the Prophet Muhammad, methodically killing 12 people Wednesday, including the editor, before escaping in a car. It was France's deadliest terrorist attack in half a century. Shouting "Allahu akbar!" as they fired, the men also spoke flawless, unaccented French in the military-style noon-time attack on the weekly paper Charlie Hebdo, located near Paris' Bas...

Why the US will power the world economy in 2015The United States is back, and ready to drive global growth in 2015. After long struggling to claw its way out of the Great Recession, the world's biggest economy is on an extended win streak that is edging it closer to full health. But the new year doesn't look quite so bright in other major countries. China is slowing as it transitions from investment to consumption. Japan has slid into a recession. Russia appears headed for one. Europe is b...

Search resumes for missing AirAsia passenger jetThe search for a missing AirAsia jet carrying 162 people that disappeared more than 24 hours ago on a flight from Indonesia to Singapore resumed with first light Monday. First Admiral Sigit Setiayana, the Naval Aviation Center commander at the Surabaya air force base, said that 12 navy ships, five planes, three helicopters and a number of warships were talking part, along with ships and planes from Singapore and Malaysia. Setiaya said visibili...